When queried as to what was the wildest behavior ever witnessed to date from an American audience member at one of their shows, Voicst springs into action. “I guess that would be a girl removing certain clothes and thereby showing certain body parts that one would normally not see in those circumstances. Is that controversial enough?! (Name withheld).�
The band moniker is pronounced “voiced,� which is a South African slang term for “manic energy.� According to drummer and sample wizard Joppe Molenar this Amsterdam post-punk-power-pop trio’s debut album 11-11 can best be described to the uninitiated as “somewhere between Beyonce and The Melvins.�
Voicst, which is comprised of Molenar along with guitarist / vocalist Tjeerd Bomhof and bassist / vocalist Sven Woodside met in school and their rock ‘n’ roll career hit the ground running. Immediately after garnering acclaim from the influential Dutch interactive media outlet 3Voor12, Voicst nailed a slot on the hallowed Dutch Lowlands Festival. That high profile gig led to another in New York City, this time as a participant the rock tastemaker feeding frenzy otherwise known as the CMJ Music Conference, which further materialized into tours of the United States and Europe in support of kindred spirits Bettie Serveert, Nada Surf, Tenacious D, Millionaire, and The Bravery.
Now comes the rush of their highly anticipated 11-11. Says Bomhof, “There wasn’t a lot of time to make the record. We started early every morning and played our asses off until late in the evening.� Woodside is credited with Voicst’s Ringo moment (refer to A Hard Day’s Night) wherein he off-handedly commented that the band’s schedule was “eleven to eleven.�
Capturing Voicst’s oomph in the studio fell squarely on the veteran shoulders of Girls Against Boys member and producer Eli Janney (Rapture, The Secret Machines). After ditching a local producer with more of a dance/electronica bent, the band took Enon drummer Matt Shultz’s advice and contacted Janney, who flew to Amsterdam to meet the group and work on material. “He had produced bands that we were really into, especially Brainiac� notes Bomhof.
Recorded at Smashing Pumpkin James Iha’s New York studio, Stratosphere Sound, Voicst plundered Iha’s massive guitar and amp collection, much to their advantage. “The vibe was amazing. Eli left some stuff just the way we originally played it. On others he turned it around a lot. They (Janney and engineer Geoff Sanoff) were quite the perfectionists, so now and then we got sick of them, but in the end it always worked out.�
With increasing airplay on MTV Europe, Netherlands radio, and key US outlets for the anthemic “Whatever You Want From Life,� Voicst will be bringing polished fervor of 11-11 around the globe for the remainder of 2006. “The goal was not only to create a record with a live feel, but to also make it a ‘record record,’ with additional production. There could have been a bit more, but we just didn’t have the time. On the other hand, there’s always that second record….�
Tom Semioli
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http://www.voicst.com
http://www.intriguemusic.com
Voicst's album 11-11 is out August 29, 2006 on Intrigue Music.
Buy Album from CD Universe
